Carlos Sainz started working with McLaren in Abu Dhabi: "It’s a dream come true"

Carlos Sainz started working with McLaren in Abu Dhabi: "It’s a dream come true"

He completed 150 laps to the Yas Marina Circuit in his first day as an official McLaren driver

The spanish driver set the fifth fastest time of the day -1’38”547. He was not looking for competitive times, but this time is the icing in the cake after a long and successful test day.

The new driver of the Woking-based team took part in the second and last day of testing ogranised by F1 in Abu Dhabi. The test served for testing the tyre specifications that Pirelli will use in the 2019 World Championship.

As for Carlos, his main goal in the test was to get familiar with the his new team. By doing so he started the adaptation process to the human team, as well as procedures and ergonomic details that will be useful for the 2019 season.

QUOTES:

"Going out of the garage today on my first day as a McLaren driver was pretty much a dream come true. When I finally completed my first run I felt extremely good, and I must say it’s been a very straightforward day".

"The team has made me feel at home from lap one and from day one yesterday when I started working with them. I did a lot of laps today and I’m grateful to the team for giving me such a reliable car to be able to initiate me in this new chapter and new style of car".

"From the first lap to the 150th lap, I enjoyed them all; the feeling was good and we’ve been able to end the season in the best way possible. As soon as I got out of the box I felt comfortable in the car. Of course, there are always going to be details to improve and new things to adapt to, like the seat and the driving style, but from the first lap I could spend time adapting and getting to know all the new controls and procedures. It’s been great".

"It’s been an intense few days after the race finished here in Abu Dhabi, learning a lot of names and understanding how the car works. I’m looking forward to spending more time back at the factory over the winter getting to know the team better and preparing as much as we can for 2019".

The Abu Dhabi Test Days are over. Now the 2018 Formula One season comes to an end. It doesn’t mean that Carlos will go now on holidays, since in the next days and weeks he will be in the United Kingdom to work tirelessly in the preparations for the 2019 season. Until the Australian Grand Prix arrives, you can be up-to-date with Carlos on social media and on www.carlossainz.es., his official website.